Plots to hasten MPR session abound<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Political plots to expedite a special session of
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly, which could open the way for
\nthe impeachment of President Abdurrahman Wahid, abounded on
\nMonday as politicians conferred and negotiated on possible
\ncourses of action.<\/p>\n
While closed-door meetings have apparently yet to produce an
\nagreed upon sanctioned course to take, top politicians were
\nunabashed in openly expressing their desire to seek avenues to
\ncircumvent conventional rules for the convening of a special
\nsession.<\/p>\n
Leading figures of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDI Perjuangan), Golkar Party, United Development Party (PPP)
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN), Crescent Stars Party (PBB) and
\nJustice Party (PK) met here on Monday evening to discuss the
\nlatest developments.<\/p>\n
Details of the gathering were sketchy, with some suggesting
\nthe discussion ranged from an exchange of views on the security
\nsituation caused by the political tension to ways to hasten the
\nconvening of a special session.<\/p>\n
PAN chairman Amien Rais claimed that besides discussing
\nsecurity, those in attendance also held a \"discourse\" on the
\npossibility of speeding up the process for holding a special
\nsession.<\/p>\n
\"We also discussed the possibility of speeding up a special
\nsession of the Assembly if the House memorandum ignites prolonged
\npolitical uncertainty and turmoil,\" said Amien, who is also the
\nspeaker of the People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
\"But the main point is that all of the political leaders are
\nconcerned by what has been happening recently in East Java, so we
\nare going to issue a communique,\" he said without elaborating.<\/p>\n
Those who attended the meeting included Arifin Panigoro,
\nSoetjipto and Sophaan Sophian from PDI Perjuangan, Syamsul Muarif
\nfrom Golkar Party, Hamzah Haz and Ali Marwan Hanan from PPP, A.M.
\nFatwa of PAN, Yusril Ihza Mahendra from PBB and Hidayat Noer
\nWahid of PK.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives censured President Abdurrahman
\nWahid last week for his alleged involvement in two financial
\nscandals and agreed to issue a memorandum.<\/p>\n
However, under the memorandum process it takes up to four
\nmonths before the House can propose a special session of the
\nAssembly be held to begin steps to impeach the President.<\/p>\n
The political antagonism has seeped down to political party
\nsupporters, who have held mass rallies and gone so far as to
\nattack offices of political parties on the opposite side of the
\ndispute as their own parties.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman has maintained through it all that he will not
\nresign.<\/p>\n
There are fears that if the political crisis is not resolved
\nsoon it could erupt into open conflict at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n
When contacted by The Jakarta Post, the chairman of the Golkar
\nParty faction at the House, Syamsul Muarif, refused to comment on
\nMonday evening's gathering, saying he had to report the results
\nof the meeting to the party's executive board.<\/p>\n
\"I cannot comment on that. I would not dare to say that we
\nwere talking about hastening a special session. I have to report
\nthe meeting to the executive board first,\" Syamsul said.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan's Soetjipto said the gathering mainly discussed
\nthe latest security developments, denying that it was held to
\ndiscuss a special session.<\/p>\n
\"This was a brainstorming meeting. We have yet to conclude
\nanything,\" he remarked.<\/p>\n
Legality<\/p>\n
Earlier in the afternoon, Amien Rais indicated that steps were
\nbeing taken to map out strategies to fast-track a special
\nsession.<\/p>\n
\"Besides establishing an expert team, factions at the Assembly
\nwill meet to seek a legal basis to hold a special session. Within
\nthe next two or three days, the Assembly is expected to reach a
\nbreakthrough,\" he claimed when meeting with students from the
\nAlliance of Student Organizations from Java and Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Amien admitted the Assembly has encountered difficulties in
\nfinding a legal basis for an immediate special session, since the
\ncurrent mechanisms, as stipulated in a 1978 Assembly decree,
\nrequire at least six months.<\/p>\n
\"The decree is a regulation that can be reviewed anytime we
\nwant because our current situation is exceptional,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said an Assembly team consisting of constitutional law
\nexperts was expected to find a solution to \"the legal deadlock\"
\nso a special session could be held within the next three weeks.<\/p>\n
Amien said the team included Jimly Assidique, Dahlan Taufik,
\nSri Sumantri and Ismail Sunny.<\/p>\n
However, Sri Sumantri denied that such a team of experts had
\nbeen established, saying he had been asked merely to present his
\nthoughts to several members of the Assembly.<\/p>\n
\"I have not joined a team of experts working to prepare a
\nlegal basis for a special session,\" he told the Post by phone.<\/p>\n
Sri remarked that the Assembly could not call a special
\nsession in the immediate future because this would violate the
\nAssembly decree.<\/p>\n
\"I told several legislators who met at the Juang building (in
\nCentral Jakarta) last week that the Constitution does not allow
\nthe Assembly to hold a special session,\" he said, noting that a
\nspecial session can be called only after two memorandums have
\nbeen issued and if the President has failed to respond to the
\nmemorandums.<\/p>\n
Sri also questioned the contradiction between the result of
\nthe House investigation into the two financial scandals, which
\n\"alleged\" that the President was involved in the scandals, and
\nthe House's decision to censure the President for \"having
\nviolated\" the state guidelines.<\/p>\n
He said this contradiction gave the President the grounds to
\nfile a lawsuit.<\/p>\n
Separately, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said the only way the
\nHouse could ask for a special session was to issue two
\nmemorandums of censure.<\/p>\n
\"The House can request a special session only through the
\nmemorandums. We had the experience in 1998 of holding a special
\nsession without the memorandums, but this requires the approval
\nof the president and the people,\" Akbar said, noting that the
\n1998 Special Session was called to move forward the general
\nelection, not to impeach the president.<\/p>\n
\"The only way to hold a special session is with the
\nmemorandums, and that will take four months and no sooner.\"
\n(rms\/dja)<\/p>",
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